Leone ‘Toni’ Orlene (Sidie) Larsen, age 86 of Palm Bay, Florida, passed away unexpectedly on June 1, 2024, at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida.
Toni was born November 20, 1937, in Victory, WI, Sterling Township, Vernon County, to Harold Kenneth Sidie and Bertha Matilda (Myhre) Sidie. Toni was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church and confirmed at Southwest Prairie Church in Wisconsin. She attended Nash Ridge Grade School, Seneca High School, and graduated from Gays Mills High School in 1955.
Toni married Wesley Wayne Larsen at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Viroqua, WI, on June 27, 1959. Toni and Wesley moved to Rapid City, SD, where their 2 daughters, Linae Cindy Larsen and Kimberly Kay Larsen were born. Toni and Wesley resided in Rapid City for 47 years, until Wesley’s death on March 15, 2007. Toni moved to Lancaster, CA, in 2007, where she lived for the next 10 years with her eldest daughter, Linae, and her husband, Miguel Salinas. In 2017 they moved to Palm Bay, Florida.
Toni Larsen is survived by her two daughters, Linae (Miguel) Salinas of Palm Bay, Fl, and Kimberly (Edward) Whalen of Enumclaw, WA, grandchildren, Adam (Rachel) Raley of Eagle River, AK, Eric Raley (Brenna Peters) of Aurora, CO, Michael Salinas of Palm Bay, FL, Yenny (Salinas) Gutierrez of Richmond, VA, Rachael Whalen and Joseph Whalen of Enumclaw, WA, and her great-grandchildren, Trentin-John Wermers, Anastasia Raley, Arabelle Raley, Renee Salinas, Karina Salinas, Jimmy Lucio, and one great-great-grandson, Elijah. Toni is also survived by her sister, Helen (David) Shaner of Viroqua, WI, and brother, Kenneth (Ilene) Sidie of Westby, WI, sister-in-law Chris (Roy) Sidie and many nieces and nephews.
Toni was preceded in death by her husband, Wesley, in 2007, her parents, Harold and Bertha (Myhre) Sidie, 5 siblings, Lucille Athnos, Hilda (Jerrold) Matson, Raymond Sidie in infancy, Diane (Ambrose) LaFleur, and Roy (Kris) Sidie.
Toni will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend! The greatest joy of her life was her children and their families. She enjoyed keeping in touch with her family and many friends, loved to sew and was an avid artist who specialized in oil paintings. Toni was kind, thoughtful, loved by all who knew her, and she always had a friendly smile for everyone she came in contact with.
A graveside memorial may be held in South Dakota at a later date.
